Red Angels Cry
by Sera Anon
Summary: When Lisbon gets a call from the Chicago PD about a car accident that unexpectedly ties to her mother, she heads back home to help solve the mystery and get some answers. Set during season 5 and updated all chapters to reflect post-episode 18. Explores the J/L relationship.
1. Chapter 1

Update 03-12-2013: I wanted to reset the timeline of this story, so that it would take place after Lorelai "kidnapping" Jane and subsequently being killed. This also means that it takes place after Lisbon inadvertently confesses her love without uttering a single romantic word.

It's been a number of years since I've actively participated in the Fanfiction world so I'm quite rusty. However, the brilliant creation and increasingly remarkable acting on The Mentalist and especially its vivid lead characterization have awoken the storyteller in me out of hibernation. Hope you enjoy this and keep in mind that no copyright infringement is intended.

~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ At the CBI Office ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~

Teresa Lisbon had been having a bad, heading to terrible, week when the phone rang in her office and changed her world.

"Lisbon," she barked into the phone.

"Teresa," a male voice said on the other end. "It's Mike O'Malley from the Chicago PD. It's been a long time."

Lisbon paused a second, remembering the gangly teenage boy she had been in English Lit with during her junior year. "Wow, Mike," she said more warmly. "How've you been?"

"Good, busy." Lisbon heard the tightness in Mike's voice. "Look, Teresa this isn't really a social call."

"Oh?" Lisbon asked curiously. "You've got a case that needs consulting or something?"

"Or something," Mike responded. "A couple of days ago Chicago PD got called for a homicide. Looked pretty clear-cut like a car accident except for one thing. The victim had on a necklace with a cross pendant." Lisbon's grip on her phone instinctively tightened. "It was engraved with your Mother's name."

A few minutes later, Lisbon silently stood as she surveyed the bullpen. Cho and Rigsby were laughing at an inside joke they had just shared. Grace was typing quietly at her computer, a cold case file open in front of her. And Jane was lying on his brown couch with his eyes closed.

She took another moment to listen to the laid-back buzz of noise, before recollecting her phone conversation with Mike O'Malley just a few minutes prior. How could one unexpected phone call turn her world around even more than usual and cause such a mixed rush of emotions - pain, anger, grief and overwhelming sadness. The last time she had felt this was when the doorbell rang for her family home and the Chicago PD had informed her of her Mother's accident. As her heart rate automatically started to race, the din of background noise faded as a sound matching her rapidly increasing heartbeat began to pound loudly in her ears.

"Lisbon." the softly spoken sound of her name interrupted her reverie. She blinked and looked in the direction of the voice.

Patrick Jane was standing 3 feet from her, a look of concentration etched on his face, observing her carefully with his left hand slightly outreached towards her. Seeing his hand reach towards her further, she automatically took a small step away.

She ignored the tiny, almost imperceptible look of hurt flit across his eyes. "Uh, what is it Jane? she asked trying to sound casual. In her head, her voice sounded distant and unnatural. There was also an unmistakable warning in her voice that warned to back off. She hadn't meant to let him hear that.

But then, she hadn't meant for him to see the raw emotions just a few weeks ago that she had pent up so long.

Jane opened up his mouth to say something and paused ever so slightly. His face suddenly masked over and he shrugged, "You just seemed miles away." was all he said as he put his hands in his pockets, his chin slightly tucked. It was the same apathetic expression he wore sometimes when he was ducking a question or more accurately an accusation. It was nearly the same expression he wore when he saw a certain naked corpse covered in just a bloody white sheet a few weeks ago.

She didn't respond but instead shrugged back. "Actually," she started a bit loudly so that everyone in the bullpen would hear, "I'm planning some time away."

At that remark, her team turned three pairs of incredulous eyes on her.

"Boss? Is everything okay?" Rigsby ventured.

Lisbon didn't answer immediately. "I need to deal with some personal matters." she said finally. She realized she was being cryptic but she wasn't about to share the details of her phone call with Mike, nor was she going to tell her team how that had raised all sorts of questions about her past and how it made her question practically everything she thought was the truth which basically shaped her as she was today. Besides, sharing private details was not in her nature.

Her team remained silent, the three agents looking puzzled but not daring to probe further. She did not dare to look towards the blond consultant.

"Cho's in charge while I'm gone." she said more clearly. Her eyes sweeped across the area more widely. Jane continued to stand where he had been before and was now staring intently at her, his head cocked slightly to one side in thought. Ignoring this, she turned and headed towards her office.

She didn't have to look behind her to know that Jane was following on her heels. As soon as her door swished closed, it opened and he swiftly came to stop in front of her desk.

Lisbon was bent over her desk and did not look up as she reached for her bag and began packing her contents. Wallet, badge, gun. She knew he wouldn't remain silent for long.

"Go ahead," he said. "You are mulling now but saying it out loud will lift a weight."

Lisbon looked up at him wearily. During that moment, she felt her breath begin to hitch as she took in the sight. A typical three-piece suit over a slightly crumpled shirt covered his medium but slight frame. The shirt, the only sign reminding her of the 6 months when he was away, and when he had looked unkempt. The only remnants reminding her of the unshakeable ache and hurt that ensued during those months of having her calls and countless pleas for him to connect being ignored. And a constant reminder of that woman he had been with, and had been willing to throw away his life and future to become close to.

Had time and again been willing to throw away his life and future to get close to again.

He had somehow become her closest confidante just before he disappeared for 6 months, and alternated between being close and far since he had come back into her life. She had somehow become his unwitting protector and sound-board, but an invisible wedge had truly been digging deeper between them starting from the months he was away and then during the days that elapsed since his kidnapping. This was the direct result of his blind insistence to find his wife and child's murderer at the expense of others, and the recklessness that was more evident than ever in all the years she had worked with and gotten to know him. Her constant worry over him was surpassing the natural enjoyment she secretly, or perhaps not so secretly got from partnering with him. Since that moment in Julia's house, the agony of her situation came to a head. Lisbon felt the build-up of exhaustion overwhelming.

"I don't have anything to say." she replied to Jane, not looking at him. Feeling his eyes intensely watching her every movement again, she forced herself to look at him more directly. For the first time, she felt as if the tables had turned for the first time in months. He was the one wanting her to open up. He was the one who was worried. She thought she would have liked being in this position again; and in prolonging his wait.

"It's about my Mother's death," she confessed. "I got a call - I need a few days to look into some things. It's probably nothing." She didn't know exactly why she told him. She certainly didn't want him to pry any further, so she shrugged as if to indicate how little it meant to her.

He seemed to sense that because all he did at that moment was nod his head slightly and said thoughtfully, "I see." He quietly stepped back to let her pass, opened her office door for her and walked with her to the elevators.

When she stepped in and turned around, she looked at him curiously. She didn't expect that he would just let it go so easily. A part of her felt disappointed. Leaving her to deal with things on her own seemed to be an ever-growing habit. Perhaps he really had changed from a year ago.

"Have a safe flight," was all he said casually as the elevator doors closed. The last vision that Teresa Lisbon had of Patrick Jane was of him watching her looking back at him, with no expression or care betraying on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read my first chapter, especially to those who provided such kind comments or added me to your favorites or follows lists. This is the best motivator to keep me going on the story! I hope you enjoy this next chapter also.

As always, no infringement intended.

~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ A few decades ago ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~

_Teresa Lisbon glared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Another zit had formed on her chin. As much as she washed her face and try as she wished, her face had started to constantly break out. If this was what turning into an official teenager in two weeks was all about, she wasn't looking forward to it. Sighing, she squeezed out some concealer from her mother's cosmetic bag and began dabbing it on the bright red bump that had seemed to have spontaneously erupted during the 10 seconds that she had glared at it. Picking up her hairbrush, she hastily ran it through her hair, paused and angrily stuck her tongue out at the mirror._

_A loud ring of the doorbell prompted her to glance at her watch. Great. She really had to motor to avoid being late for homeroom. As it was, she would need to skip breakfast that morning._

_Racing through the second floor bathroom, she grabbed her books and bag perched on the dresser at the top of the stairs. As she came down the stairs, she saw her father standing in front of the open door and beyond him, the policeman standing awkwardly on her doorstep. She recognized the policeman as Jim Haynes, a colleague and friend of her father's when his squad would get called into dealing with arson situations._

"… _she probably fell asleep at the wheel." She heard Jim tell her father. "You know, those 2, 3 day shifts. The side of that road is so steep."_

_Teresa stopped in her tracks, her heart pounding and legs suddenly unable to move. Her mouth suddenly got dry and her mind was racing but the only thought she had was that she couldn't comprehend Jim's words. She saw her father cry out as he fell to his knees. She watched Jim reach down and clumsily support her father back to his feet. But throughout, she remained rooted to her spot._

"Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts. We are about to land."

The flight attendant's voice and grind of plane gears shifting woke Lisbon. She squinted as she gazed out the window at the sun rising amidst the clouds. She had not had a restful doze, just as she had not had a restful sleep the night before filled with jumbled dreams of her past.

Lisbon sighed as her thoughts wandered to when she last saw her mother, first rushing to get breakfast on the table for her and her brothers, and then running out of the door hastily calling out "love you"s with her arms full of her nurse's scrubs. She remembered how unaware she was, at 16, of how hard her mother worked to take care of her family. How she had been the essential glue to hold the family together... and father's serenity. And keep in check her father's tendencies to over-drink.

A chime and announcement of their landing startled Lisbon out of her reverie. After unfastening her seat belt, she grabbed her phone out of her bag. Her thoughts turned to calling Cho, with one intention in mind.

He picked up immediately on the first ring.

"Boss," he greeted curtly but respectfully. "Glad you called. SFPD pulled us in for help on a missing person. Rigsby and I are about to head out to the victim's house. Grace will stay behind to check out some files SFPD is sending over."

"What about Jane?" she asked automatically, trying hard not to let the sound of concern creep in."

"Don't worry," Cho assured her. "He hasn't gotten himself arrested. He called in, saying he would meet us at the house."

Lisbon didn't bother hiding her audible sigh as she stepped out of the airport and into an awaiting cab. "Good, keep an eye on him," she said after giving directions to the taxi driver. She knew the request was unnecessary for Cho. "I'll call back later tonight."

"Okay," Cho replied. "Take it easy boss." he said before hanging up.

Lisbon sighed again as she stared unseeing out the window, her consuming worry for Jane distracting her from her previous preoccupation. She rarely felt comfortable when it came to his thirst for revenge against the man who murdered his family. Her ability to keep him tethered to the right side of the law was already tenuous at best, however the introduction of Lorelai made him more unpredictable and erratic than ever. It wasn't so much the danger he posed to others than his self-destructive behaviour.

And the implication of the inevitable outcome Jane was heading towards. An outcome that Lisbon could not, no, would not consciously consider.

Lisbon turned her head to look out the windshield ahead of her and shut off her thoughts and worries about Jane. This week she would step away from dealing with her usual, unwitting responsibility. This week, she promised herself as the cab arrived at a familiar-looking police precinct, she would free herself of the burden.

Or at least as much as her conscience would let her. And as much as the deep-rooted numbing pang at the bottom of her would allow her.

Lisbon paid the cab driver and entered the precinct. After leaving her name at the front desk, she took the time to look around. It had not changed since she had last been there, a rookie. The last time she had been there, she had bailed out Tommy who had gotten caught joy-riding underage with his friends. And later, that same day, she had had to get her own father arrested. A wave of nausea hit her.

"Teresa," a male voice broke through. Lisbon took a deep breath, smiled and turned around.

"Mike, " she replied taking in the tall, sandy haired cop with an easy smile, striding strongly towards her. "It's good to see you again."

"And you," Mike said, clearly appreciative to see her. "You have not changed a bit."

Lisbon's cheeks flushed slightly pink at the compliment. "I could say the same for you."

Mike smiled more broadly and puffed his chest out slightly. "Hope not. I was pretty scrawny last time I saw you. Anyway, hope you had a good flight here."

"Not bad," Lisbon responded casually. "I do want to take a look at your new case like we talked."

"Teresa Lisbon, should have known you would get right down to business." Mike said knowingly. "You always were a go-getter."

The corners of Lisbon's mouth turned upwards slightly. "Why don't you show me your board."

Mike gestured towards the bullpen and she followed him down the corridor towards a board filled with pictures of a damaged car and people.

"Like I told you, the incident took place at approximately 4 am 3 days ago on Martin Grove. At first the team on scene thought the car had rolled into the ditch by accident because we smelled alcohol on the driver but the victim's family didn't recognize the necklace when they came to pick up the victim's belongings. I just happened to be there otherwise we never would have caught on." Mike said.

"How did you?" Lisbon asked curiously.

"Well, I remembered your Mom wearing that necklace you gave her. And how you had spent so much time looking for the most unique one, getting it engraved and all." Mike ducked his head, slightly embarrassed. "I couldn't forget how much it meant to you."

Lisbon noticed Mike's reaction but said nothing, just nodding her appreciation. She turned back towards the board. "So what did you find out about the car?"

"Nothing." Lisbon's eyebrows rose at Mike's answer. "At least nothing wrong. But we did realize that the victim had not actually been drinking when we tested her blood-alcohol level. She hadn't been to a party or bar, or anything like that leading up to the incident. She had clearly been doused with alcohol to make it seem like that."

"But there's no evidence of foul play with the car." Lisbon frowned. "How did the car end up off the road."

"Yeah, that bothered me too. Enough to open up an investigation. Especially after finding your mother's necklace, and remembering that... well that her accident had happened almost the same way. Too much of a coincidence.". Mike looked at her apologetically as he handed her a brown folder, "I gotta ask you. Could your mother have known the victim?"

Lisbon looked down at the open file in front of her, surveying the victim's information and background for a long moment. "I don't know," she said finally. "The victim, her family, her work... None of it ties to my mother that I know of."

Mike nodded, looking like he was attempting to hide his disappointment. "I guess it was a long shot." He handed her a small plastic zip-locked bag. Lisbon looked down and saw her mother's necklace in it. "It's been processed. There weren't any prints we could lift unfortunately. Anyway, we can give it to you now."

Lisbon gazed at the necklace in her hand, her eyes feeling slightly moist.

"I know you've been waiting to find it awhile," Mike said gently. "The victim had it in her hand."

She was too full of emotion to speak for a moment. "Thanks," she said, her voice huskier than usual. She stood up straighter and looked at her old friend. "I want to stay a few days. I want to help you figure this out, figure out the connection to my mother."

Mike nodded, "I was really hoping you would say that." He held out his hand to shake hers, "Welcome back to Chicago."

Five hours later, Lisbon was tired. She had spent the rest of the day poring over the case file, hearing the M.E. shed light about the victim's injuries, tracing the victim's last steps with Mike and his team, and checking out the remains of the car. Her head was spinning with facts from the case and memories of the evidence. Mike's team had been just as welcome and appreciative of her presence as Mike himself, which had been a refreshing change but she was no closer to figuring out how the victim could have come across her mother's necklace.

Now, she was standing in front of her childhood home. The front of the house had changed somewhat over the years. There was clearly a fresh coat of yellow paint on the door where it had once been blue, and the apple tree she had remembered planting with her father and brother James towered over her, apples hanging in abundance.

She stepped up to the door, and as she rang the doorbell, remembered the chime that had rung the morning the Chicago PD had arrived at that same doorstep to let her family know about her mother's accident. It was also on that same porch where she followed her father as he was led in handcuffs from the house and into the back of a police vehicle. She closed her eyes briefly as if to shut out the memories.

The sound of the front door opening made Lisbon's eyes fly open. She heard a delighted "Reese!" and barely had time to react as a pair of arms were thrown around her thin shoulders. Stepping back, she looked at the similarly petite, pretty blonde woman before her.

"Meg," she greeted, a warm smile quickly sliding over her face. "You look wonderful."

"Oh you're always so sweet. Come in, please," the younger woman said as she pulled Lisbon into the front hallway. Immediately, a mouth-watering scent of apples and cinnamon assaulted her senses. "Take your shoes off, make yourself at home!"

"I'm sorry I didn't call first," Lisbon said somewhat apologetically. "I don't want to disturb you."

"Oh please," Meg said, swatting the air with her hand. "It's just too bad that James and the kids aren't home yet."

Lisbon regarded her sister-in-law affectionately. "It's alright. Actually, I can't really stay very long. I just wanted to stop by and grab something from the attic."

Meg regarded her for a moment before speaking. "He would want to see you."

"I wish I agreed with you, Meg." Lisbon told her honestly. "Look I'll be quick."

"Okay," Meg relented. "Go ahead on upstairs. I'll make you some coffee in the meantime."

"Thanks," Lisbon smiled gratefully, as she headed up the stairs and down the second floor hall. Coming to the end, she pulled on the string dangling down and gently set the stairs that emerged to the floor.

Climbing up the second flight of stairs, she found herself in the attic that had not changed since her childhood. A neat stack of boxes laid in the north corner. Lisbon headed towards it.

When Lisbon stepped back onto the main floor with medium-sized file box in her hands, her senses picked up the unmistakable and welcoming aroma of coffee beans brewing. She set the box down by her shoes and made her way into the kitchen.

"You remodeled," Lisbon said to Meg, who was pouring the steaming brown liquid into a cup with a cheerful floral pattern that matched the border on the walls. "Looks good, it needed a good change."

Meg beamed as she handed the cup to Lisbon. "Well, we've been trying to do changes here and there each year. This kitchen has been around for 3 years now."

"Has it already been that long since I was last here." Lisbon mused as she took a sip from her cup.

"Reese, the boys were barely walking the last time you were here. They're going to be taller than you and me the next time you see them." Meg replied teasingly.

Lisbon laughed, conceding. "Okay, point taken." She set her cup down and looked more seriously at Meg. "I'm glad the boys are doing well. How are you and James?"

"The same as I always tell you on the phone. We miss seeing you." Meg said earnestly. "Are you sure I can't convince you to stay and catch up with James? He'll be back in an hour."

Lisbon stood up, and smiled apologetically again. "Not today. Meg, it's good to see you as always. I'll come by and visit before I head back to Sacramento."

Meg nodded as she followed Lisbon to the door. "I'm going to hold you to that. I know James will be holding you to that."

Lisbon waved a small goodbye as she left her childhood home with the box from the attic in her other hand.

_One day, two months after the funeral, Teresa realized her mother's necklace was missing. It came to her the moment she woke up, like a light suddenly turned on. Throughout the day, she ransacked the entire house searching for it. When it didn't turn up in any of her mother's jewelry cases or pockets, or kitchen drawers by the next day, she made her way to the police precinct where the possessions her mother had on her had been taken. After two hours, and three attempts at three different departments to explain her request, she still hadn't found it or gotten any clues to where it could have been lost. When she was caught two nights later by a security guard at the auto scrap yard, and had to wait for her father to pick her up, she came to the sinking realization that the one thing that she wanted to keep of her mother's was gone forever. But that was not the only revelation that night. It was during that night, her father's alcoholic depression first reared its ugly head. She got out her mother's concealer again the next morning, this time to hide the purple marks around her right eye._

Lisbon woke to the sound of a cell phone ringing in a darkened motel room. She breathed deeply and looked at her left hand, which was clutching her mother's necklace. She was lying on the bed, along with dozens of photos of her mother from the attic box strewn around her.

Turning over, she grabbed her phone off of the dresser seeing the clock by her bedside turn 10. "Lisbon," she barked still groggy.

"Reese," an angry male voice greeted her. "I didn't think we had come to this."

"James." Lisbon responded, keeping the edge from creeping into her voice. "So, Meg told you about my little visit."

"Yeah, she did." James answered, still angry. "How many years since you've come back to the house and you can't even stay an extra hour to see me."

Lisbon sighed. "Look James, I didn't want to just surprise you. I was going to come by again this weekend. I would have called you first."

"Right." James snorted. "Reese, I get that our lives are really boring compared to yours but it would be nice to see my big sister when she's in town. Unlike Annie, my boys hardly remember you."

A feeling of guilt settled on Lisbon, "James, I only saw Tommy and Annabeth when they came to California last year."

"Save it, Reese." James cut in. "I know that only the needy deserves your attention and time."

"That's not fair. James –"

"Come to breakfast tomorrow." James cut in again. "It's a Saturday. You can't use the excuse of running back to California for work."

Lisbon let out an exasperated sigh that she didn't even realize she was holding back. "Of course." She responded softly. "I really did mean to visit you again." She tried again, this time trying to sound as earnest as possible.

"Yeah," James said with a tight tone in his voice, but not angrily. "See you Reese."

Lisbon ended the call on her end and sighing, promptly hit a familiar speed-dial number.

"The customer you have reached, has not turned on their phone," a nondescript, smooth woman's voice said on the other line.

She swiftly ended the call and hit another familiar number.

"Boss." Cho's voice answered as predicted on the first ring.

"How's the case." she asked immediately.

"Done. Jane figured it out in almost record time. 4 hours."

"4…? What happened?"

"There was no case. Turns out the missing person was just having an affair and was stupid enough not to cover his tracks." Cho said bluntly, with a hint of disdain in his voice.

"So, any other cases come by?"

"Nah," Cho now sounded frustrated. "It's turning into a really slow week." He paused, before continuing. "Jane's nowhere to be found though."

"Great," Lisbon sighed. "I just tried calling him and his phone's off. Where was he last?"

"He said he was going home, as soon as he had sussed out where the cheating husband was. He hasn't been seen of or heard of since. I called all the police precincts and hospitals. He's not in any of them." Cho said pointedly. "Or the FBI office." he added.

Lisbon rubbed her forehead wearily, not wanting to guess at where Jane could have gone without her watchful eyes. "Okay, thanks for the update."

"Sure," Cho said. "I'll let you know if I hear anything new."

Lisbon thanked him, and then ended the call. She shuffled over to the motel bed and fell back onto the covers. She didn't wake up until the morning.

Lisbon grabbed her rental car keys off the motel room's table as she made her way to the door. The photos she had been looking at the night before, as well as a number of diaries and news clippings were now strewn across the rest of the table. The corners of her mouth turned downwards as she considered how little help the box had been in her investigation.

As she drove back to her brother's house, she thought about the last time she had seen her serious brother. James had always been by far the most conservative and responsible of all the Lisbon boys. Even while she stepped in to take care of, look out for, and nearly raise her younger brothers, she never really had to worry about James. By the time he turned 15, he was already going steady with Meg. He was always the one with a plan, the conscientiousness to go to college, the drive to find a good job and make enough money to buy out everyone else's portion of the house. And he had always been the only one of the Lisbon children with the desire to raise a family and remain in their childhood home. As a result, she had to admit that she didn't spend as much time with him. She considered the idea that maybe that was why there was such friction in their sibling relationship.

After arriving at the house, she walked up the driveway and rang the doorbell. While waiting for someone to open the door, she paused. James was the only one that she had stopped being able to mother the way she did her other brothers by the time she had turned 19. She shook her head, thinking that sometimes it seemed as if he was trying to play father to her, even if she never let him.

The door opened, and James Lisbon stood in front of her, tall and sturdy. Unlike her and Tommy, he had clearly taken after their father in stature and looks. She looked at him expectantly, unsure of whether he would make a motion to hug her. However he did not as he stepped back. Instead he gave her a puzzling slight frown.

"James, hey." Lisbon said casually yet cautiously as she stepped into her childhood home for the second time in two days. She smiled up at him, trying to break the ice. "You're looking healthy."

"Yeah, thanks." He responded simply. "Come on, Meg's almost got breakfast ready and the boys have been looking forward to see you."

Surprised and slightly off-putted by his cool greeting, she followed him into the kitchen. Again, a mouth-watering scent wafted through her nostrils, this time of mildly burned bread, bacon and eggs.

She heard Meg's voice before she saw the blonde woman approach her from the direction of the table. "Reese, I'm so glad you made it. And," her voice suddenly became girlish and sounded what Lisbon could only describe as gushing. "You've been holding out, haven't you?"

Lisbon looked at her confused as Meg threw her arms around her and whispered in her ear, "You never told me anything about your guy. Especially not how gorgeous he is."

Confused still, Lisbon's view of the table became clear as she peered over Meg's shoulder. James had made his way to one end of the table, standing over his two young sons while still carrying his slight frown. But it was what Lisbon saw on the other end that made her understand James and Meg's reactions.

Sitting at the kitchen table was Patrick Jane, neatly groomed, serene and smiling as he picked up a floral cup with both hands.


	3. Chapter 3

**UPDATED** I'm so sorry that I've been unable to continue this story as quickly as I would have liked. I've been dealing with some personal things that have been all-consuming. Although I've got the whole story mapped out, from one writer to others, I hope you understand how hard it can be for the writing process and stay interested. I'll be getting back to finish this soon. In the meantime, I've made some quick edits below.

**ORIGINAL POST** There's going to be a roller-coaster ride associated with the relationship rifts you've been seeing as emotions and the reasons behind them are explored. I do hope you all bear with me and believe that they will work themselves out eventually. Thanks again for taking the time to read and support through comments, faves and followings.

~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * A couple of decades ago ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~

"_Hey Teresa, wait up." The familiar and friendly voice of Mike O'Malley caused Teresa Lisbon to turn around as she exited her last class for the day._

_"What's up, Mike?" she asked as the tall but gangly teenager approached her._

_"I didn't do so well in the last pop quiz. I was hoping maybe you could help me study?" he asked hopefully. "I'm sure you aced it as always."_

_"Law's really interesting for me." Teresa responded shrugging and blushing slightly. "Sure, anytime."_

_"How about now?" Mike said tentatively. "My mom's making her world famous lasagna tonight. You could stay for dinner."_

_Teresa hesitated. "I wish I could," she responded. "But I promised Greg I'd stay and watch his last practice of the season. And then I've got to go home and fix supper for my brothers."_

_Mike looked past her in the hall and saw the tall, blond and well-built 17 year old Greg standing awkwardly as he looked back at them._

_"Oh, right, I should have remembered the season's almost up."_

_"I thought you'd have baseball practice tonight." Lisbon said questioningly._

_"Nah, coach cancelled since Bill might have blown his rotary cuff." Mike replied. "Our shot's pretty much done if he doesn't get on the mend."_

_"Right." Teresa said. Thinking kindly towards him and feeling somewhat bad for disappointing him, she ventured a charitable suggestion, "Why don't you come sit with me on the stands. I was going to try to study there anyway. We can go over your notes instead."_

_Mike shook his head, "Another time, okay?" He slipped past her, heading away from the blond teenager. "Thanks anyway," he said over his shoulder._

_Teresa watched him walk away in surprise, then shaking her head walked towards the still waiting Greg._

_"What was that about?" Greg asked, a little tone of concern in his voice._

_"It's nothing," Teresa responded flippantly. "He just needed help getting his grades up."_

_"That's because you're so smart." Greg said, sounding relieved and admiring at the same time. Teresa felt her face go hot and knew she had started blushing again. "C'mon," he said, putting his arm around her. "I can't wait to show you off. I'm the luckiest guy on the team because I've got the prettiest and brainiest girlfriend cheering me today." Greg smiled broadly as she felt herself blushing an even deeper shade of red than when she had been with Mike._

_Teresa punched him softly in the chest and grinned, feeling her body getting warmer partly from Greg's profuse compliments and partly due to her physical proximity to his warm and strong body. "Alright, let's go."_

~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * James Lisbon House ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~

"Teresa dear, you're just in time." Patrick Jane welcomed, his signature charm directed on full-blast. He put his cup down so that he could stand up and walk towards. When he reached her, he immediately gave her a bone-crushing hug.

"What a surprise." Teresa Lisbon said through gritted teeth, flailing her arms slightly. "Jane, what are you doing here?" She hissed into the blond consultant's ear.

"I. _Missed_. You" Jane stood back, holding her shoulders at arms length and gazing intently her eyes as he enunciated each word in his imperceptible mock serious tone.

Inwardly, Lisbon seethed. How dare he make fun after her inadvertent confession just a few weeks ago, not to mention his sulking behavior since?

Knowing they had an audience, Lisbon started attempting a grin in good humour but it only came out looking like a pained grimace. Seeing James' frown and Meg's look of delight, she began to snap, "Jane quit it." Turning to her brother and sister-in-law, she said insistently, "This isn't what you think it is."

Jane dropped his arms and placed his hands in his pockets, smirking. "Why Lisbon, there's no need to hide your true feelings by being mean to me."

"Shut up." Lisbon exclaimed automatically.

"Language, please." Jane gestured towards the two young boys sitting at the table.

Turning again to her family with slightly panicked eyes, she murmured, "Really, he's kidding. We just work together." At Jane's loud clearing of his throat, she clarified, "and we're friends. But nothing more." she finished meaningfully.

Throughout this, James and Meg had been watching intently. Meg laughed with delight and ushered them all towards the table

"What did Annie call you..." The blonde woman contemplated as they all sat down. Her brows furrowed for a minute, before she tentatively said, "Nick and Nora...?"

"Huh?" Lisbon asked at the same time that Jane replied bemusedly, "I hope I'm Nick." He leaned towards Meg and said conspiratorially, "I always liked William Powell's dapper style and moustache."

At that moment, James broke his silent sulk, "Reese, so what are you doing in town?"

"Oh, nothing really. Just a consult for a case for the local PD." Lisbon hedged.

"And they called you all the way from California." James asked curiously. "What, was it tied to a case of yours there?"

"Uh yeah," Lisbon mumbled vaguely. "Something like that." She felt Jane's eyes boring into the side of her skull and willed herself not to look towards him.

"Yes, that's why I came also." As soon as she heard Jane going along with her story, Lisbon's head snapped up to look shockingly at her consultant. His once again broadly smiling appearance was all innocent.

"Hm," James only said, not sounding convinced. "How long are you here for?"

"A few days, right Lisbon?" Jane jumped in before she could answer. "Speaking of which, we should check in at the station again once we're finished breakfast."

"A few days? Patrick, why don't you stay with us?" Meg asked excitedly. She turned to the brunette on her right. "Reese, maybe we can convince you too!"

Lisbon saw Jane look towards her and seeming to sense her reluctance as well as James' dismay, politely said, "Meg, that's too kind. But I'm sure we can come to see you again many times before going back."

"Be sure you do." Meg responded, beaming at him as James continued to regard him suspiciously.

Lisbon groaned inwardly. "Kill me now," she thought to herself. She glanced at Jane, who was looking at her again with an amused gaze as if he knew what she had just thought.

~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * In the rental car ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~

"So are we heading to the precinct now?" Jane asked Lisbon, once they had left James and Meg's breakfast.

"_I'm _heading back there. You're going back home on a plane to Sacramento."

"After I came all this way to meet your lovely family?" Jane teased gently.

"Jane, aren't you forgetting something?" Lisbon shot back irritably. When he merely glanced at her silently, she paused. Could she – ? They were miles away from the CBI's, FBI's, any BI's wagging tongues, disapproving eyes, and prying ears.

But not far enough from their reality.

She continued in her same tone, "You have not told me _what_ you are doing here in Chicago."

"Well, Oprah's favorite restaurant is here. And the shopping … hmmm… the shopping… !" Jane said mockingly.

"Jane!" Lisbon cut in, gripping the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles turned whiter.

"Okay – Lisbon," Jane started again, his voice soft. "The truth is that I sensed that you were in trouble, or more accurately _troubled_ about something. I thought you would need my help…. Or at least some friendly company. When I arrived this morning, I called Cho and asked him to look up your brother's address."

Despite her lingering frustrations carried over since she left Sacramento and knowing that she should be outraged at his invasion of her privacy not to mention slight shock that Cho would go along with his request, she couldn't help the inescapable feeling of warmth engulf her at Jane's honest words. She pushed back down her conflicting emotions and the flood of concerns that were threatening to rise up. "_We're far away from Sacramento after all._" she reminded herself.

"Thanks." She said to him simply.

"You're welcome," he responded just as simply. "So, what are we facing?"

Lisbon immediately noticed but didn't call out how he had said "_we". _"A murder victim staged like a car accident. She was doused with alcohol to make it seem like she had been drinking and driving. The only thing that clued the Chicago PD was the fact that she had on her a necklace when she died, that the family didn't recognize." Her voice broke then, "The necklace belonged to my mother – it had her name engraved on it. It's also been missing for 27 years."

"What does this necklace mean to you?" Jane asked, watching Lisbon's face as she continued to drive.

"I gave it to her, a few weeks before…" When Jane nodded as she glanced over, Lisbon went on, "The victim's death was almost a mirror to how she had died 27 years ago."

"Go on," Jane encouraged.

"It never seemed right, that my Mom had been drinking and driving. She was always so careful – always the designated driver for my Dad. She even kept him in check when he went out with the boys." She sounded reflective as she remembered her past. "I kept trying to figure it out. Reason it out in my head, because it just didn't seem like her."

"I bet you investigated it at the time – or at least as much as a child would be able to." Jane surmised. "Let me guess. The adults around you told you to let it go, move on, live your young life."

"Yeah" Lisbon admitted. "Uncle Jim – my Dad's friend, my aunts. Even James who was old enough to understand what was happening and was hurting just as terribly… they all told me to let it go."

"But you didn't want to – no, you were tenacious about getting to the truth that would make sense to you. At least not until something… or _someone rather_ … made you." Jane guessed again.

Lisbon shot Jane a wry smile, "My Dad started going into these drinking binges. I started focusing on him, and keeping him from …" she let out a long breath. "Until 2 days ago, I hadn't really thought about this or my doubts about the accident."

She felt a tentative touch almost skimming her right knee. If she hadn't been so focused on her emotions remembering the past, she would have thought more of the gentle intimacy of the gesture. As it was, she felt a delayed sense of warmth where his hand had been.

"You'll get to the bottom of this." Jane assured her somberly and quietly. "I'm here to help in any way."

"I know." She responded, briefly shooting him a grateful look.

"So we're heading to the precinct after all?" Lisbon couldn't help smiling at Jane's repeated question and anticipation in joining the case. It was the first time he expressed this type of emotion for a new case that didn't have anything to do with his own personal vendetta in a long while.

"Yes Jane, " Lisbon conceded, echoing his last words in response. "We're heading to the precinct after all."


	4. Chapter 4

I'm finally back, writing this story again. Thank you to all who have been patient and understanding during my brief hiatus!

~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * A couple of decades ago ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~

_Teresa pushed through the front doors of the Chicago police precinct and paused as she took in the precinct's main lobby. Her eyes sweeped across and as soon as they set on a familiar face off to one side of the receiving counter, headed towards it. The tiny click-clack of the heels of her boots announced her arrival to Mike O'Malley._

_"Teresa?" he said questioningly, sounding and looking equally pleased to see her._

_"Mike, do you work here?" she swiftly asked, trying hard not to sound frantic._

_"Uh – yeah, I'm on rotation here. I'm in my last year at the academy." He answered. "Can I help you?"_

_"It's Tommy," she replied, her voice breaking slightly. "He got brought in for joyriding this morning. I'm here to take him home. Does he need bail?"_

_"I – Teresa, I don't know anything about that. They don't let junior –"_

_"So, can you find someone else who can help me? Look, I gotta find some help – quickly." She broke in, her voice elevating a few notches higher._

_"Teresa," another familiar male voice called out suddenly. _

_Teresa turned to see her Uncle Jim coming towards her. She smiled at the other familiar face, although her heart sank a bit. "Uncle Jim," she said, her voice shaking. "Please tell me you don't know anything about Tommy being picked up."_

_"I'm sorry," the middle-aged, stocky man responded. "As soon as I heard, I told the guys here to be good to him."_

_"What do you mean?" she asked, her heart thudding now._

_"It's pretty serious. One of the kids in the car, Josh, ended up in the hospital with broken ribs. The car was wrapped around a pole. It's a miracle no other car was involved."_

_"Why didn't anyone tell me that on the phone? Did Tommy get hurt? Is he okay?" she practically shouted._

_"Calm down," Jim said gently. "He's fine, just shaken up. But he's been booked."_

_"Why, was he driving?" she asked._

_"No, but Josh's father is pressing charges. He says that Tommy convinced Josh to take the car out without his permission. Tommy's going to get charged."_

_"No…" Teresa cried out, shaking her head. "Uncle Jim, can't you do anything about this?"_

_"Reese, I'm so sorry. I've got to follow the law." Jim responded, looking remorseful. "Look I couldn't find your Dad so I left a message for him at the firehall to bail –" _

_"What?" Teresa shouted? "No!"_

_Jim took a slight step back, startled. "Your Dad's gotta know…"_

_"No." Teresa said fighting to keep her voice calm, shaking her head still. "You gotta call the firehall back immediately, tell them it's just a misunderstanding. A mistake on your part. You gotta tell them that Tommy's fine. Nothing's wrong."_

_"Reese, he's a minor. I had to call him to bail Tommy out." Jim said._

_"Okay." Teresa responded slowly. Her eyes darted slightly as her mind raced for options. "Look, I'm of age. You can release Tommy to me. I'll make his bail." She said, her eyes wide and her head nodding questioningly._

_During this exchange, Mike had continued to stand by the side watching silently. When Teresa glanced at him, she saw the sympathy in his eyes for her situation. "Jim, can't we at least let Tommy go with her if she can pay his bail?_

_Jim sighed, "Okay, you go with Mike here to make his bail and I'll get Tommy out of lock-up for you. But I have to be honest with your Dad. I'll tell him that you're taking care of this and bringing Tommy home."_

_"Okay… thanks, Uncle Jim." Teresa said gratefully, her voice still tight. She turned to Mike, "Mike, you too."_

_Mike nodded, "C'mon Teresa. I'll take you where you need to go." Teresa followed him stiffly, wondering whether she would have enough money on her. "You should call Greg and tell him about this," his voice broke through her thoughts. "I know you probably want to protect your brothers but you shouldn't be taking this on…, going through this all by yourself."_

_"No, Greg's got his big sailing trip he's been planning for months with his buddies." She said brushing off Mike's suggestion. "I don't want to spoil it for him."_

_"He wouldn't think of it that way." Mike said in a more persuasive tone. He hesitated, then said, "I know I wouldn't"._

_"No." Teresa replied resolutely. "I don't need to call him. I've got this. He doesn't ever need to know."_

~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * At the precinct, present day ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~

Jane opened one of the front doors to the Chicago police precinct for Lisbon before following her in. She took a sharp intake of breath, recalling again the reason behind her memories of the precinct years ago. She felt Jane take notice quietly, but continued to let her lead him past the reception counter after flashing her guest badge towards the officer at the counter. They headed towards one of the bullpen areas in the back. Mike O'Malley looked up at the sound of their footsteps, smiling broadly as soon as he saw Lisbon. When his eyes looked past her towards Jane, his smile wavered slightly and immediately stood up taller and puffed up his chest to present a hulking stance.

"Mike, I should have known you'd be willing to work on a Saturday." Teresa joked not visibly minding Mike's reaction to Jane. "Always so dedicated to the job."

Mike shrugged as if to appear nonchalant but he smiled warmly at her, "Need to close some cases." He looked behind her towards Jane, pausing.

"Detective Mike O'Malley," Teresa introduced, "this is Patrick Jane. He's a consultant with the CBI." She turned to look at Jane, "Mike's an old friend. He was the one who called me."

Jane's face went from inquisitively observant, his expression similar to the one he held when he had first met Greg, to overtly charming as he reached forward to shake the police detective's hand with a knowing smirk. "Mike, good to meet you. Any friend of Teresa's is a friend of mine – I seem to be getting the privilege more often this year."

Teresa was surprised, first at Jane using her first name and then when Mike seemed to stumble a bit with his words as he shook Jane's hand. "So, you-you work together… and you just happened to jump on a plane to Chicago." Mike noted, his deep voice rising in pitch a notch as it trailed off.

"Yeah," Jane responded, his head bobbing a bit. "Well – actually she's my boss. So technically I work for her."

Lisbon's head spun around so fast, her hair tossing that she nearly got whiplash. "You're admitting it?" She exclaimed to Jane, staring wide-eyed at him.

Jane lifted his shoulders slightly, "When have I ever minded you being on top? It's so refreshing, isn't it Mike?" he said swiftly, as he turned towards the detective. "That a physically beautiful, intelligent and career-driven woman can still be – well – beautiful on the inside as well. That's probably why she inspires such dedication – no – _devotion_ – from everyone who gets to know her. Even from those who don't feel worthy of her." He paused dramatically, then added, "_Especially_ those feeling unworthy."

"Yeah," Mike replied sounding puzzled and a little disturbed. "So, you were saying – who else have you met?"

"Oh, yeah," Jane said in a gregarious tone. "Tommy and his daughter visited last year. And we even got to see Greg and his lovely family. Incidentally while on a case of course." He added quickly. Jane watched Mike's face carefully, as the detective processed the conversation. He smirked, when a look of uncertainty remained on the detective's face. "Enough pleasantries of course. You're looking to close some cases, aren't you?"

"Jane, we're only here for one." Lisbon said to her consultant warningly. She had witnessed the interchange silently to avoid showing any exasperation to his attempting to provoke Mike, and possibly prolonging Jane's amusement. Her tone all business, she directed the subject back to the case, "I want to walk through the victim's activities over the last couple of weeks, see if anything jumps out the second time around. Jane has a unique set of skills that we've been fortunate to get him to use for the CBI for years. He's closes a lot of cases – it's been great for our team's record." She explained to the detective, in a light tone clearly meant to pacify the detective. "I figured another set of eyes would be good."

"Sure," Mike responded, his shoulders relaxing as he turned towards Lisbon again. "I'll bring the files and board out for you," he said and headed towards the hallway.

Lisbon whirled around and stalked towards her consultant, looking contrite when he saw the disapproval on her face. "What's with you today?" she hissed in Jane's ear, leaning forward with her hands balled in fists at her side. "It's been years since you've pretended like this and suddenly you're playing with people you just met – people that _I_ happen to know."

"Lisbon, I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean anything." Jane apologized, sounding genuine and looking relieved when Mike rounded the corner rolling the board with one hand and carrying a box under his other arm. "Ah, I see you've assembled a nice timeline of the murder."

"Cora Britton-Curtis. She was driving home from a conference about two and a half, three hours drive-away. It looked like she stopped for gas part-way home but that's all we know so far. She never made it home to her husband who says he was home all evening with their 3 year old. There's nothing that makes us suspect the husband – up until now that's the lead we were checking on."

"What rules him out?" Jane asked.

"Mike got his phone, cable and Internet records." Lisbon interjected. "It shows that Cole, Cora's husband, was consistently home all night. In fact, he left his wife several voicemail messages and texts on her cell, called a few friends when she didn't show up on time as well as hospitals and finally the police."

"Plus, all the friends he called that night, everyone we've spoken to, has told us how much he loved her. He doesn't have a motive." Mike added.

Jane nodded. "Has anyone else popped up on the radar? Someone who could have a motive?" Jane was now sifting through the file.

"Not yet," Mike answered. "I was thinking that Teresa might be wanting to help with the search, talk to the victim's husband."

Jane smirked again, "Ah, of course." Suddenly he looked towards another board that was rolled parallel to the far window. "So, your team is off this weekend?" he queried. When Mike nodded, he continued, "And you've been struggling with this case of there." Jane gestured towards the far board.

The detective looked at the blond man warily. "It's been a tough one. And Cora's death came up so soon after that case got opened."

"How hard have you really been working on that one since you found this one?" Jane challenged him.

"Jane!" Lisbon said warningly at the same time that Mike opened his mouth to retort.

"What are you talking about?" Mike lifted his chest up again, as he strode towards the blond consultant now standing in front of the far board. He lifted his chin and looked down glaringly so that he stood half a foot taller than Jane.

"All I'm saying is that the murderer is quite obvious for this one." Jane said mildly. "The placement of the victim's body – how she's been dressed and made up, how she's been posed, her surroundings. It's clearly the second suspect you have up here." He concluded.

"How can you tell that?" Mike responded incredulously and with an angry undertone. "We've been investigating this one for nearly a week. There's no way you could figure that out."

"Of course I can," Jane shot back, "you're missing the obvious."

"Jane," Lisbon repeated more loudly.

"Lisbon, I'm just trying to help." Jane turned back to Mike. "I'm assuming that all of these men were taped to the board because they all have motive. Look at the way the suspect is dressed. His glasses, how he posed for the camera. Clearly a dentist. Precise – methodical. Look at your victim again. Voila – your killer."

"I thought you said he closes cases for you." Mike said, wheeling around to look at the petite agent. "Not throw out wild guesses without basis."

"Mike, I'm sorry, but Jane's track record is amazing even if his social skills aren't – look, why don't we get out of your hair? I've copied the victim's address. We'll just go and see if her husband remembers anything else." She sighed a little as she placed a hand on Mike's arm. "I really do appreciate you letting me in on this."

"Sure, of course I would Teresa." Mike said more calmly, looking at her hand on his arm and then back into her apologetic eyes. After a pause he looked up, frowningly towards the consultant who had wisely remained quiet.

"Thanks again Mike." Lisbon called over her shoulder as she hastily ushered Jane out of the detective's sight.

Jane continued to remain quiet as she practically pushed him out of the precinct and trounced towards their rental car.

"Was that really necessary?" Lisbon came around to face him in front of their vehicle. Her ticked-off emotions boiled further when she saw his knowing look. "Mike's a good guy. He didn't have to call me for this."

"Actually," Jane countered, "He did. More accurately, he never would have dreamed otherwise."

"What are you talking about now?" Lisbon asked, infuriated.

"You went to school with Mike, right?" Lisbon nodded as he continued with his surmising, "He always hung around you?"

"He was a good friend," she said, confused.

Jane grinned at her, his eyes twinkling and affectionate. She held resolutely to her anger and ignored his gentle tug of her jacket. "Woman, only you would be so completely and adorably oblivious to how much of a heartbreaker you were. And apparently still are." He added laughingly, shaking his head in disbelief. "You know, these last couple of years I've learned how wrong I was about you. I never considered that it was _you_ who was the mean, cold-hearted one that the high school boys worshipped from afar."

"Now I really don't know what you're getting at. Quit trying to divert attention away. What you did to Mike, goading him like that was uncalled for. How he rubbed you the wrong way, I have no idea. But you had no right to treat him like that. Like the mean and stubborn – mule! that you are sometimes."

To her frustration, Jane lifted his head back and let out an amused howl as he took the car keys from her hand, pressed the remote to open the car door on the driver's side and started sliding into the driver's seat. "Don't let your propriety stop you from saying what you really think – Scarlett."

Lisbon sighed again, and after throwing her hands up in the air, opened the passenger side-door to sit in.

~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * The Victim's House ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~

"Mr. Curtis, would you mind if I helped myself to a cup of tea?" Jane asked the victim's husband as he paused in front of the pantry in the open-concept living space.

"No, help yourself." Cole Curtis, a man of average build with black-and-white peppered hair, responded a little absent-mindedly. After Jane's quiet thank you, he turned to the brunette agent. "I don't understand. I thought I answered all of the police detective's questions."

"I'm sorry sir," Lisbon started, "we needed to do some follow-up given that your wife's death has been ruled a murder now."

"I don't understand," Curtis repeated, sounding vague and shaking his head. "Who would want to hurt her? She didn't have any enemies. We're just normal people. We don't have a lot of money."

"Maybe you can help with retracing more of your wife's steps before –." Lisbon suggested gently, haltingly. "We know she was coming from a conference in Springfield. What was she doing there?"

"She was attending a self-help seminar about switching careers, setting up her own business." Curtis said. "She's the intake receptionist for a high-end private medical clinic – the Moevenberry Medical Centre – but she's been talking about starting an interior design business for a while, maybe see if she could find herself a partner."

"Did she mention anything about meeting anyone there? Either someone she knew before or completely new?" Lisbon probed. Behind her, she heard the whistle of a tea kettle.

"No, she didn't go with anyone. And she was excited, happy, that she had gone. She talked a bit about what she was learning but she didn't mention anyone in particular. She actually left the conference a day early. No one knows when she would have left but the police think it would have been late afternoon. The detective said her cell phone battery had died soon after she must have left so when I called her, she wouldn't have even known."

"Could she have visited someone along the way? A friend, a co-worker? We know that she was on the road close to home at 4 am. That's almost 12 hours of unexplained time." When Curtis shook his head, Lisbon took a different line of questioning. "How about the weeks leading up to that? What did Cora do?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Grocery shopping, you know typical errands, gas, car service… she stayed home one day for the cable repairman and then another to interview a new baby-sitter." Curtis replied, a little thoughtful.

"Something about the baby-sitter?" Jane asked, a steaming cup in hand going around the couch to sit beside Lisbon.

"Yes." Curtis nodded. "We fired her less than a week later. Cora caught her trying on her jewelry and later found that she was missing a bracelet. Tammy – that was our baby-sitter – denied stealing it but we felt that she had been dishonest. She called Cora names, called her crazy when Cora asked her to leave. She made my wife upset." Curtis looked up at Lisbon and Jane, visibly shaken. "She knew we didn't have any real proof so we weren't going to call the cops. But could she have done something?"

"Sir, we'll check it out but there could be other possibilities. I'd suggest that we don't just narrow to one." Lisbon said gently. She reached into her pocket to pull out her smartphone, bringing up a picture of her mother's necklace. "Have you ever seen this in your wife's possession before? Could this have been stolen from your wife's jewelry set?"

Curtis took the phone and looked at the picture a while, but no significant recognition passed over his face. He shook his head. "The detective asked me about this too. I haven't seen this before she –. It wouldn't have been likely anyway. She's not Catholic."

"I see," Lisbon said in a husky voice, attempting to keep down her disappointment. She glanced at Jane when she felt his hand on her wrist. She shot him a quick, soft smile.

"I don't understand what's happened." Curtis repeated again, not noticing their exchange and burying his head in his hands. "You had to know her. She wouldn't hurt a fly. Everyone loved her." His voice broke as he started to sob, "How am I going to live without her?"

After leaving the Curtis' house almost 20 minutes later, Lisbon turned to Jane. "I guess we should talk to the baby-sitter. Even if emotions ran high I find it hard to believe that she would go to such lengths to commit murder just for getting fired. Jane, what do you think?"

"I'm inclined to agree with you." Jane nodded. "Maybe we should also make a trip out to Springfield, talk to the convention coordinators."

"I was thinking that also. She glanced at her watch. "We'll have enough time to question the thieving baby-sitter, but it's probably best to wait until morning to head out to Springfield."

Jane opened the passenger door and held it open for Lisbon to get in. "Let's go meet thieving Tammy then."


	5. Chapter 5

Happy V-day – at least for another while depending on where you are in the world! This chapter's a heavy one in the beginning but it lightens up later so I hope you stick this one out. I hope I'm still remaining true to the characters, especially pertaining to Lisbon's and Jane's relationship – that's really important to me so thank you to everyone who has given me such supportive feedback.

Of course as always, I don't make money from this story. No infringement intended.

~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * A couple of decades ago ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~

_Teresa Lisbon pulled her car onto the driveway to the Lisbon house, turned off the engine and then turned towards the slight, sulking teenager sitting in the passenger seat beside her._

_"What am I going to do with you?" she asked him, a note of desperation creeping in her tone. "How could you do something so reckless?"_

_"You don't believe me, do you." Tommy Lisbon glanced back at his older sister. "Taking the car wasn't my idea."_

_"Even if it wasn't, you're still in a lot of trouble. Josh's father is well-off, which means that they'll believe him before they believe you. And even if you convince the judge that you're telling the truth, what about Dad?" Teresa didn't hide the anxiety in her voice._

_Tommy turned a few shades whiter, as they continued to sit silently in the car. "I thought you said he didn't know," he finally said._

_"No," Teresa shook her head. "I said Uncle Jim couldn't find him. But even if he's been at the pub again, he must have gotten the message by now."_

_"What should I do?" Teresa looked at her little brother, sounding tiny and thoroughly terrified._

_Teresa mentally snapped herself into action and started getting out of the car. Tommy followed her example and got out of the passenger side. "You let me deal with Dad," she told him calmly looking at him over the car roof, forcing a tone of adult authority. "You get ready as quick as possible and go to school before he comes home. Give it time to let this whole situation blow over."_

_Tommy nodded, and quickly scrambled into the house. Teresa paced back and forth in the middle of her family's living room, her mind going through all the possible options to approach explaining this to her father._

_She looked up at Tommy as she heard him thundering down the stairs, his backpack in hand. If she hadn't been so worried, she would have marveled at the speed with which her normally late younger brother had gotten changed and ready for school. Before she could blink her eyes, suddenly the front door flew open and slammed against the wall so hard, a couple of the pictures that had been hanging beside her fell to the floor with a thud. Their father's figure was framed in the front doorway, hulking and very angry._

_"Tommy!" his loud voice bellowed. Teresa and Tommy both froze in their spots. It was then that Teresa felt each second move like minutes._

_She watched as her father stalked towards her younger brother, already shrinking against a wall. He towered over him as he shouted, "Why won't you behave?"_

_She continued to watch, rooted to her spot, as her father reached down to lift her brother by his shirt collar and begin to drag him towards the fireplace. Tommy tried to hold back, only to find himself being dragged by the strength of his father's pull._

_"Dad, no!" Teresa cried out finally, breaking out her frozen state just as her father gave Tommy a huge wallop over the side of his head. When her brother howled in equal parts pain and fear, she started towards them, tears streaming down her face._

_ "Reese?" another small, terrified voice called out. Teresa turned back to see her youngest brother, still in his Spiderman pajamas, peering through the pillars of the staircase behind her._

_She backed up towards the little boy, her eyes wide and frantic as she heard her father slap Tommy a second time. "Go to the bathroom and lock the door behind you," she whispered desperately. "Go!"_

_As soon as she had seen her youngest brother scramble back up the stairs and heard the slam of the bathroom door, she turned around again._

_"Why do you always do these stupid things?" her father was yelling at Tommy as he beat him repeatedly. "Don't you know how this makes us look? How many times can I make you understand?" Tommy had rolled up into a ball now, rocking only slightly with his hands soaked wet and red._

_Teresa didn't think twice, as she ran towards her father and jumped on his back, her legs flailing underneath her. "Dad, please stop," she pleaded trying to hold him back with her small weight._

_The elder Lisbon, lifted his arms easily without looking back, causing Teresa to lose her grip on her father. "Stay out of this, Reese."_

_Teresa fell sideways, her forehead hitting the fireplace. As she picked herself up off the floor, she saw her father heading towards Tommy again who was lying prone, seemingly lifeless on the floor. Feeling woozy, she picked up the first thing within her reach and headed towards her father. As the glass shattered over his head, and he fell to the ground unconscious, she saw the drops of blood flying around her. It was then that she realized that her hand was bleeding._

_Despite the growing numbness in her hand and intense throbbing piercing through her head, she made her way to the phone with her bloody hand held close to her chest and dialed 9-11 with her uninjured hand._

_"Hello," she said, her voice sounding eerily thick and in control when an operator answered. "I need an ambulance – quick. There's been a terrible accident."_

~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * At Lisbon's motel in Chicago ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~

The sliver of light streaming through the doorway of motel suite 203 grew larger as the door swung open. A weary Teresa Lisbon barely shuffled through the door, followed by a lighter-footed Patrick Jane.

"Come on in," she said over her the shoulder as she flipped on the light switch. Jane squinted his eyes as they adjusted to the garish light that revealed 2 neatly-made double beds.

"Thanks," he responded, lifting a duffel bag up slightly. "Right side or left side?"

"You decide," she answered without care. She headed towards the bathroom, where she turned on the faucets and began splashing water on her face in an attempt to feel more alert.

"I'm surprised you haven't made more of this." She heard Jane call out from the room.

"What's that?" she asked as she grabbed a towel from the counter and patted her face dry. She exited the bathroom and saw that Jane had made himself comfortable sitting on right side of the left bed, which was closer to the window and door.

"Our sharing quarters." He replied, widely sweeping his right arm across the room.

"There's nothing to make of it." Lisbon shrugged, her eyes still drooping as was her mouth. "The motel is full with all the displaced guests from the hotel that caught fire down the street."

Jane appeared to be studying her, as if he didn't believe her but Lisbon didn't even look in his direction as she pulled out one of the chairs under the round table and sunk into it wearily. Jane quickly got off his bed and slipped into one of the chairs next to her.

"Come on, what's weighing on your mind?" he asked, concerned.

Lisbon sighed. "We didn't get anywhere today." She replied in small defeat. She gestured to the photos that were still lying randomly on the table. "I know we expected the babysitter to be a long shot but – "

"You couldn't help wishing there was progress, no matter how implausible." Jane finished for her.

"Yeah," Lisbon replied quietly, sighing again. She shook her head in frustration. "I also can't figure out how this could possibly be related to my mother."

"Of course you would be upset. Of course, you would be conflicted over all sorts of emotions. It wasn't so long ago that you found out your mother's accident may in fact have been anything but – or at the very least be related to a murder nearly 3 decades later." Jane stated matter-of-factly.

Lisbon stared at a picture of her mother framed behind the kitchen window, laughing and waving at the camera. She remembered watching her father take the picture on a warm summer day when she was 10 years old. "I tried – I tried finding her necklace. I called everyone I could think of in my Mom's family. I ransacked the entire house and turned it upside down 10 times. I even haunted the police precinct, practically accusing them that they had lost it. Finally Uncle Jim told me it was probably lost in the car and I should just leave it be." Jane didn't interrupt Lisbon, as he continued to listen to her in rapt silence. Lisbon smiled. "I found out where our car had been taken, which scrap yard. And then I figured out where the car was and snuck into the scrap yard. And – miraculously – the car was still there, relatively intact."

"But you didn't find anything." Jane surmised, encouraging her to continue.

"No," Lisbon responded, "I looked in every crook and cranny of that car. I even took some pictures." She rummaged towards the bottom of the box, took out a handful of Polaroid pictures and dropped them on the table in front of them. Jane picked up the one that had slid across the table closest to him and regarded it a moment. It was a picture of the open glove compartment, where a couple of receipts and what looked like car maintenance reports were partially tucked in.

"These are very good, despite the photo quality and age." Jane complimented, marveling at the perfect composition and clarity of the picture, even taken by a 12-year old Lisbon.

Lisbon snorted, "Well it certainly got me into trouble. The flash caught the attention of a security guard. I only had time to hide the camera and grab whatever was in the glove compartment just in case I had missed the necklace. Of course it was only wishful thinking."

Jane leaned in towards Lisbon, causing her to look towards him. She sat frozen in the moment, taking in the earnest clear blue eyes framed by long, gold-flecked eyelashes. "We will find what happened, Lisbon. If not tomorrow at the conference center, then the next day, or the next day after. I promise you. We won't leave here without figuring this out."

Lisbon smiled softly, letting herself forget the anger and the hurt that plagued her the last few weeks. She let herself be taken in by the passionate promise in his voice. As if sensing her internal mind shift, Jane stood up, pulling her to her feet. "Go lie down now, and get a good night's rest." he said.

"I should call Cho – " Lisbon started, pulling away from him.

"Cho's probably at the gym or the shooting range right now. He'll be fine without a nightly check-in. And if you're thinking of calling Rigsby, I bet he's home with Ben and calling him will only wake the baby up. And Van Pelt – well, I'll give you one guess where Grace could be."

Lisbon winced. "If she's not learning something that I don't even know what she's talking about, I hope she's not on another first date. This will be practically number 15 this year."

Jane shrugged, as he flopped back into a prone, half seated position on his chosen bed. "Well, that's just natural distrust given her track record for picking men that only want to infiltrate the CBI." At Lisbon's visible disapproval mixed with a look of worry, Jane immediately said assuringly, "It's not your fault."

"What's that?" Lisbon asked, her forehead creasing in the middle.

"Van Pelt and Rigsby breaking up years ago. And Grace's inability to not only trust men, but her own judgment in choosing a good man. It couldn't be helped, that break-up. It was bound to happen anyway despite their strong feelings for one another… love, I'd dare say. Rigsby just wasn't ready to commit and Van Pelt was – is – too wide-eyed and career-driven. The latter much like you."

Lisbon shifted uncomfortably. "What do you mean by that? Of course I don't blame myself. Besides, it was Madeline Hightower who made them end their relationship."

"Perhaps – but that hasn't stopped you from feeling guilty. Probably because you realize that Grace looks up to you. She sees the possibility of becoming like you, but she is much too innocent. You sense that, and so you feel a sort of protectiveness over her. You needn't." At Lisbon's scoff, Jane elaborated, "In this line of work, Grace could use a few life lessons to toughen her up. Although she'll never reach the same level of damaged intensity that you exude. No – she didn't grow up with your childhood experiences."

Lisbon looked away, her discomfort clearly growing. "Please, now you're spouting off like Mashburn."

"Yes –" Jane assented mildly and coolly. "I am sounding like Walter, aren't I? I must commend him for making a surprisingly astute observation for an obtuse spoiled oaf such as he."

Lisbon started at Jane, disbelievingly as he grabbed the remote control and turned on the television. "And what have you got against him? I thought you liked him. You certainly spent enough time trying to impress him on how clever and interesting you were."

Jane didn't respond for a minute, opting to focus on flipping channels. "It was part of a play. A man like Walter Mashburn gets everything he wants. I was merely toying with him – it was amusing."

"Yeah, right," Lisbon smirked. "That's why you kept pushing me towards him that last time."

It was at that moment that Jane landed on a show where there were two cheetahs resting in the wild. Suddenly, he looked faintly nauseated and rapidly flipped channels without stopping. "Jane?" she asked with concern.

"It's nothing," Jane said, continuing to rapidly flip channels. "Just not my cup of tea, so to speak."

Lisbon shook her head, not comprehending the range of reactions she was getting from him, within a span of a few minutes.

Finally he stopped on a regular news channel, squeezing his eyes shut for a minute. "Lisbon, why don't you go ahead and use the bathroom first. You must be tired and anxious to get to sleep."

"Okay," she said hesitantly, still regarding him thoughtfully.

As she headed towards the bathroom, she heard him flip the channel again and delightedly exclaim, "Ah our inspiration Lisbon." Looking back, she saw Jane fold both hands behind his head as he stared in amusement at a scene from a classic run of the _The Thin Man_ movie. "You know, Lisbon, maybe your niece was onto something after all. You are quite the lanky brunette with a wicked jaw."

Lisbon laughed with a wry remark, "Right, as if I would ever have anything in common with a rich socialite from the 30's. Or marry such a know-it-all detective."

"Are you really so sure, Lisbon." Jane challenged as she continued, laughing again, towards the bathroom. "I wouldn't say never…"


	6. Chapter 6

This chapter's a little bit shorter than most, but I really wanted to get something out since it's been so long. Plus, I want to try getting this finished before the next episode in a few weeks time!

For those who remember Season 2 and what she told her therapist, the memory from the last chapter is how I would imagine Lisbon's father getting so drunk that he couldn't remember beating up her brother senseless. Thanks everyone for your continual patience to keep following this story.

~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * A couple of decades ago ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~

_It turned out that she needed stitches in her hand. 7 to be exact. And she might have nicked a nerve or two._

_The irony was that her father wasn't injured at all. Not even a concussion. He was fast asleep in the hospital._

_Tommy, on the other hand, was not so lucky. The doctors in the emergency room had been huddled together and consulting in hushed tones, every so often directing glances in the direction of his bed. Teresa was uncomfortably hunched over in the plastic chair in the waiting room area, with her youngest brother scrunched up in a ball half-asleep and glued to her side. Despite her immense exhaustion, she was completely alert and feeling wired._

_She was also intent on keeping Tommy safe._

_Inwardly, she felt like shaking. Her mind replayed her brother's beating over and over again. She knew what she had to do._

_And she hated herself for it._

"_Teresa, honey. Where's your Dad?"_

_She looked up to see Jim looking at her in concern. She jerked her chin towards the curtain behind which her father slept._

"_Uncle Jim," she called as he started towards the curtain. "You'll be able to do what I asked?"_

_The older man smiled sympathetically. "Reese, I've been your Dad's best friend for 25 years. This isn't going to be fun for me either but I'm going to do my darndest to protect you and your brothers."_

~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * At the motel ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~

Lisbon woke to the stream of sunshine hitting her face from the slightly open curtains. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Jane lying peacefully on his side facing towards her, his cheek slightly smushed against the pillow as he hugged it. She noticed that during the night, Jane had changed out of his suit into elegant sleepwear that she never knew he owned.

This was the first time she saw him drool a bit and thought to herself that she would tease him mercilessly as soon as he awoke. "Turnabout is fair play."

For a minute, her eyes traced his face from the blond lashes kissing his cheeks to the tiny smile that graced his lips. Even while asleep, he looked as if he was getting to enjoy a secret revelation.

As quietly as possible, she pushed down her covers to get up and swing her legs over the edge of the bed. She rarely got to see Jane enjoy more than a few winks here and there on his or her couch in the office. She knew that despite his seemingly countless naps, his constantly working mind really didn't get a lot of rest. She would go to any lengths to allow Jane just a few more minutes of truly peaceful sleep.

Hovering over him as she stood up, she fought the urge to brush an unruly lock of hair that fell over his eyes to the side.

Never had a man frustrated and confused her so thoroughly. She would live and die for this man, and while there had been a time when she thought he would do the same, she was no longer so sure.

_How can I trust a man who openly admits that he only tells me the truth 30% of the time? And how can I care for him when he shows no remorse for and simply discards a woman he's slept with, maintains an on-again, off-again 10-month relationship with, and even worse, admitted if only to me that he had feelings for?_

She attempted to stamp down the bitter whisper bubbling to the surface. She lost.

_As a mark, that's how, _the mocking voice in her head answered. _As an easily duped, naïvely dutiful, saintly little mark._

_Is this how you envisioned your life 10 years ago?_

Feeling very alone and sad suddenly, she continued to gaze at Jane's childlike slumber. Unable to face her demons any longer, she turned around and headed to take her shower.

~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * Springfield – conference centre ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~

"Lisbon, didn't I shave an hour off of our drive up here?" Jane was saying irritably as they both got out of the rental car and shut their respective car doors.

"Jane, it's a miracle you didn't get caught by highway patrol." She complained. "I still have the seatbelt mark from the last _ten_ times you slammed on the brakes."

He shrugged. "I barely went above the limit."

"Right, if the limit was 50 over the little white sign we kept seeing coming up here." She retorted over her shoulder as they made their way into the Springfield conference centre.

Jane opened his mouth as if to respond and seemingly thinking better of it, closed it again. Lisbon squinted her eyes at him suspiciously while she headed towards the reception counter.

"Hi, I'm Agent Lisbon and this is Patrick Jane. We're with the CBI investigating a homicide with the Chicago PD." She said, flashing her badge. "Could I speak with your convention coordinator?"

"Just a moment, I'll get her." the woman behind the reception counter said before disappearing into the back room. A minute later, she returned with a red-haired woman in her mid-forties.

"I'm Linda Black. How can I help you?" the red-haired woman asked.

"Ma'am, I understand you hosted a convention here a week ago?"

"Yes," the woman nodded. "The _Reach Your Dreams_ convention. A number of self-help gurus came to lecture. We had a number of convention goers eager to take something very personal away with them, to help them achieve their ultimate goals."

"Did you meet Cora Britton-Curtis?" Lisbon asked.

Linda paused, then nodded. "Yes, I believe so. She wanted to leave early, go home to her family but first make sure that she was able to get her take-home kits. I remembered because I thought it was so touching for her to want to surprise her family."

"Do you remember seeing Cora with anyone at the conference, maybe someone she had a disagreement with?"

"No, no tiffs with anyone." the convention coordinator responded, shaking her head. Suddenly she snapped her fingers. "I do remember someone she seemed to become friends with. Her name started with a D –. Not Debra. Hmm… just a bit." Linda went towards the back room. Lisbon glanced at Jane, who had uncharacteristically remained quiet throughout the exchange.

It was at that moment that Jane's phone began to ring. "Patrick Jane," he answered. "Meg! What a lovely surprise. To what do I owe this honor…?"

When Jane noticed her looking at him quizzically, he shrugged at her with a lopsided grin, stepping away from the reception area and started strolling in the direction of the conference centre. Lisbon stared after him in disbelief.

It was at that moment that Linda returned with a 8x10 photo and printed list in hand. After glancing at the list, the older woman pointed to a brown-haired woman in the photo. "Donna, that's her name. Donna Fields."

Lisbon's heart pounded as she leaned in to take a closer look at the photo. It may have been over 25 years, but she knew this face and recognized the name. Donna Fields had been a friend of her mother's.

_Review, please? :)  
_


	7. Chapter 7

Another short one, but I'm pushing on… I'm afraid I do need another chapter or two to finish this off.

Special thanks to a few reviewers for their consistently encouraging feedback: Lothlorien Aetna, CrazerCat , and especially Cazza799 who hung on from the beginning and has practically commented on every chapter.

Feedback continues to be much appreciated. :)

~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * A couple of decades ago ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~

_Teresa stood outside, watching Uncle Jim lead her father from his car into their family's home._

_She continued to stand outside the window of her family's home, and watch as her father entered the living room and blinkingly stare confused, scared at the blood-soaked carpet and shattered glass fragments in front of the fireplace._

_She remained rooted outside, watching Uncle Jim cross her family's living room to speak to her father through the window._

_Teresa continued to stand and watch her father listening to Uncle Jim speak, with a growing horror on his face._

_She did not move an inch from her spot as she watched her father shake his head, run his hands through his hair, and begin to protest. _

_She stayed outside the window as a squad car drove up the street and parked in front of her house._

_She continued to watch as the police officers entered the front door of her family home, and handcuffed her father._

_Teresa watched as her father was led from the living room out the door, and then into the squad car._

_And she continued to observe silently when James suddenly arrived home, witnessed all that had transpired, and uttered only one thing to her._

_"What have you done?" _

~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * Springfield Conference Centre ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~

Lisbon continued to stare at the photo in stunned silence. She heard Jane hang up his phone and approach her from behind.

"Well, isn't that sweet… Meg has invited us back to their house for a barbecue tonight. It's promising to be a warmer night and –" Jane broke off when he came around and saw Lisbon's face. "What is it?"

"I know her." She said tonelessly without looking up. "I finally found a connection to my mother."

"Who is she?" Jane asked. She looked up to face him.

"Donna Fields. She was part of the clerical staff at my mother's old hospital – she was my mother's friend. She used to view my mother as a mentor."

"And how are you thinking she's connected?" Jane asked carefully as they started heading out towards the parking lot.

"I don't know – maybe she had something to do with my mother's death too? It's too much of a coincidence that she knew both my mother and the victim – and she was with Cora so soon before her death."

"Lisbon, I want to caution you – there's nothing to indicate that it's more than what you just said. A coincidence."

Lisbon stopped in her tracks just outside the conference centre's door and stared at Jane in disbelief. "I can't believe you're not supporting me on this."

"Lisbon, it's not like that – "

"No." she said fiercely, cutting him off. "For years, I've been behind you while you're been on your vendetta. And you can't indulge me? And what are you doing here anyway?" Her voice shook with fury. "You come here, acting like we're –" she swallowed hard, unable to continue.

Jane was watching her closely but instead of ducking her accusations as usual, he stood in silence. She stared back at him, watching an array of emotions play across his normally poker face. He seemed to be struggling to say something.

"Lisbon – I – " he trailed off. "Why don't I just let you drive us home?"

She laughed bitterly at his question and turned her head to the side, avoiding looking at him. In that moment, she flashed back to the episode in Julia's house when he admitted to lying to her about seeking Lorelai, and the physical similarity to their current stance. Finally she turned her head back to glare at him. "Find your own ride back!" she exclaimed defiantly and stomped towards the car. When she reached in her pocket to grab the keys, she realized that it was empty.

Stiffening, she turned around to look back at Jane. He stood, with the keys held up.

He looked almost apologetic as she wordlessly snatched the keys from his hand, got into the car and waited until he had gotten in also.

Lisbon was still staring ahead in stony silence as she drove their rental car into the parking lot. As soon as she had parked, she reached over and pulled the door handle of the car. She continued to ignore him as she waited for him to get out.

"Please give Meg my regrets.", she said not quite meeting her eyes. "I'll be back later tonight."

She glanced up only when the car door had closed. As she backed out of the parking spot, she watched him hunch over slightly and hang his head as he looked after her with an expression that she couldn't quite decipher in his eyes.

~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * At the Fields' home ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~

"Here you go," Donna Fields handed Lisbon a cup of hot cocoa. "Teresa, I can't believe how grown up you are now. You were just a child when I last saw you. And here you are, a police-woman."

Lisbon smiled up at the older woman softly. She had called up Mike, to ask him to join her at Donna Fields' home. When she and Mike had rung her doorbell, she had been prepared to tear into the woman. The minute the door opened and she looked into the other woman's face, her raging emotions turned to uncertainty.

The older woman immediately recognized her. Or more accurately, she called her by her mother's name. The affection and innocently questioning tone made Lisbon realize immediately that the older woman couldn't have had anything to do with her mother's death.

But she was hoping there still would be something. After all, Donna was the only link between her mother and Cora. The only possible lead to finding a clue about what had happened to both of the deceased.

Mike was standing by the window, a hand at his belt. "Mrs. Fields, can you tell us how you know Cora Britton-Curtis?

"Sure," the middle-aged woman responded with no pretense. "I met her at that conference. She was sweet enough to offer to drive me back home, after she found out that we only lived 20 minutes away from one another."

"And, that's it?" Mike said probingly.

"Donna," Lisbon spoke up, "We're just trying to understand what could have happened to Cora. How she could have ended up going off the road in the middle of the night when she clearly would have come back before dinner."

"Of course, it's such a shame what happened." Donna replied. "You know, on the way back we got car trouble. It turned out that the tow truck ended up driving us back to town, and then I took a cab home. That was last time I saw her."

"Did you hear from her after that?" The older woman shook her head at Mike's question. "Do you know the name of the tow truck company?"

"It was one of the tow trucks that came when she called her auto service provider. I'm afraid I don't know anything more."

~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * Outside Donna Fields' home ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~

"Thanks Bob –" Mike O'Malley hung up his phone and turned to Lisbon, who had looked towards him questioningly.

"My guys tell me that the tow truck driver was on the regular rotation for the victim's auto service. "They'll follow up on the lead."

"Why do I feel like it'll be a dead end?" Lisbon asked, a frown on her brow.

"Hey, why the glum outlook?" Mike said. "Look, you and your consultant really helped push this case forward for us."

"I was so excited that we would get something when I found out about Donna." Lisbon said, her demeanor not changing.

"Look, let me take you out for a late bite." Mike said. "I know a place that makes a mean Philly steak sandwich." He finished, with a gruff swagger.

Lisbon smirked at Mike's attempt to lighten her mood. "Lead the way," she said.

~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * At the motel ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~

For the second night in a row, Lisbon trudged into her motel room, feeling drained. The room was still darkened when she came in, and Jane was not in sight. She glanced at the clock on the nighttable between their beds. 9:59.

Faintly letting out a long breath, she pulled out the file box for her mother and set it on the table. As she started sifting through old photos, she suddenly started finding herself fight tears welling in her eyes. An uncontrollable wave came over her as she turned her head and stared at Jane's still-made bed.

She was still sitting at the table, slumped over, when she woke in the morning with Jane hovering over her.


End file.
